Method and apparatus for polishing sheet glass



Jan. 29, 1935. D. H. GOODWILLIE 1,989,403

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR POLIsHING SHEET GLASS Filed May 1, 1951 2Sheets-Sheet Ill 7 :3 g Q i I Q 5 Q I [0 o Q 0l 0 g R 3 3% Da u d H.66052372;

ATTORNEY Jan. 29, 1935. D. H. GOODWILLIE 1,939,403 METHOD AND APPARATUSFOR POLISHING SHEET GLASS Filed May 1, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 \r i I o o3 b 0 Q I INVENTOR Dav/d H. Gooo'ow/he ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 29, 1935PATENT OFF-Ice METHOD AND APPARATUS ron, rousnm snas'r crass David H.Goodwillie, Toledo, Ohio, assignor to Libbey-Owens-Ford Glass Company,Toledo, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application May- 1, 1931, Serial No.534.259

16 Claims.

invention is adapted for use in such a system wherein the polishingunits are caused to travel in the same direction as the glass sheetsduring the polishing operation and also wherein after each unit hascompleted its operative course upon the glass, it is removed therefromand returned to the start of the next operative course.

The operative surfaces of the polishing runners are usually of felt orthe like and these are caused to take up rouge by supplying the runnerswhile operating with a mixture of rouge and water. After each unit hascompleted its operative course upon the glass, it is desirable that thepolishing felts be washed and treated so that the runners canagaineffectively operate on their next course to polish the glass comingfrom the grinding and smoothing operations.

An important object of the present inventio therefore, resides in theprovision of a novel method and means for cleaning and/or treatingthefelts of the polishing runners during the transit of said runnersfrom the end of one operative course to the start of the next operativecourse so as to prepare them for the next polishing operation.

Another important object of the invention resides in the provision'of amethod and means for effecting a drying and conditioning of the felts ofthe polishing runners subsequent to the cleaning thereof so that whenthey are again brought to the start of their operative course, theywill'be in a condition to effect immediate polishing of the glass.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparentduring the course of the following description when taken in connec;tion with the accompanying drawings.

In the. drawings forming a part of this appli-' cation and wherein likenumerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation, partially in section, disclosingapparatus provided by the present invention,

Fig. 2 is a section taken substantially on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a section taken substantiallyon line 5 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, 4 designates one of a series of cars ortables which are adapted to be arranged end to end and movable in adefinite substantially horizontal path to carry the glass sheets 5mounted thereupon first beneath a series of grinding units (not shown)and then beneath a series of polishing units 6. The tables 4 are slidforwardly upon fixed guides 7 and may be driven in any desired mannersuch as by means of suitable drive pinions which may mesh with the rackbars 8.

Each pdlishing unit 6 includes a hollow supporting cross-beam 9 mountedat its opposite ends upon trucks 10 and. 11 havingwheels12 2 and 13which run upon tracks 14 and 15 respectively arranged outwardly of butparallel with the tables. Carried by each truck 10 and 11 is a dependingbracket arm 16 provided on the bottom thereof with teeth 17 engageableby a suitable drive pinion (not shown) whereby the polishing unit may becaused to move in the same direction as the tables 4.

Each polishing unit 6 also includes a plurality ofgroups ofpolishingrunners A, B and C arranged transversely of the tables 4. Eachgroup of runners preferably consists of three polishing blocks 18covered by suitable pads of felt or the like and being carried by aspider 19 secured to the lower end of a vertical spindle 20 which exftends upwardly through cross-beam 9 and is journaled in bearings'carried thereby. The several groups of polishing runners of each unit 6may be driven from a single motor 21, the shaft 22 thereof carrying aplurality of worms 23, one for each group of runners andmeshing with aworm gear 24 keyed to the respective vertical spindle 20. The polishingblocks 18 are so mounted upon thespider 19 that they are permitted tofreely rotate about their individual axes while being simultaneouslycarried in a circular path upon rotation of spindle 20. 7

To assist in the polishing of the glass, a suitable polishing materialsuch as rouge or the like is adapted to be fed upon the surface of theglass and this may be accomplished by. utilizing a vertical spindle 20of hollow construction and in feeding the rouge downwardly therethrough,the rouge being supplied to the spindle through a .adapted to brush thesurface of the felts.

trough 25 associated with the upper end thereof. As set forth above, thepolishing units 6 are adapted to travel'with the tables in the directionof movementindicated by the arrow D in Fig. 1. As each succeedingpolishing unit completes its operative course from right to left, it isadapted to be lifted upwardly off of the glass by the lifting means 26and. placed upon the. super-structure 27 built above the line of tables,and returned thereon from left to right as indicated by the arrow E tothe start of its next operative course, the said unit being then againlowered onto the glass by the lowering means 28 which is ofsubstantially the same construction as the lifting means 26. Inasmuch asthe specific construction of the means for raising and lowering thepolishing units relative to the glass constitutes no part of the presentinvention per se, they will not be described in detail herein. However,it might be briefly stated that the lifting means (and the loweringmeans is of the same construction) includes a vertical supporting frame29 positioned at each side of the tables and within the upper ends ofwhich is mounted a transverse shaft 30 carrying adjacent each end alifting arm 31, said arms being connected together at their outer endsby a rotatable girder 32 carrying two hooks 33 which engagethe polishingunit adjacent the opposite ends thereof. The lifting arms and thelowering arms may be caused to oscillate by any suitable drive means toeffect the desired raising and lowering of the polishing units.

The super-structure 27 includes a plurality of spaced cross-beams 34supporting'the longitudinally extending rails or tracks 35 upon andalong which the polishing units are caused to move. That is to say, whenthe polishing unit is lifted upwardly by the lifting arms 31, it isplaced thereby upon the rails 35 which are engaged by the supportingwheels 12. The movement of the polishing units from left to right may beeffected in any preferred manner such as by the provision of an endlesschain 36 located at each end of the unit and carrying pusher members 37which are adapted to engage plates 38 secured to the polishing unit. Theupper flight of the endless chain 36 may be supported upon thehorizontal portion of a bracket 39.

The super-structure 27 also includes a plurality of horizontallyarranged rollers 40 constituting a runway for the, polishing runners,the felts of the said runners being cleaned during the passage thereofover the runway by cleaning devices of any convenient form. These mayconsist. however, of a plurality of rotatable washing brushes 41,preferably supplied with water guild e brushes 41 may be driven in anydesired manner such as by means of a sprocket chain 42 trained aboutsprockets carried thereby, while the rollers 40 may be driven or not asfound most suitable.

Positioned to the right of the rollers 40 is a stationary supportingplatfo 43 also constituting a part of the runway and over which thepolishing units 6 are moved, with the blocks 18 thereof restingthereupon. In the event the felts of the polishing blocks are still wetwhen they are returned upon the glass after washing, it would take acertain amount of time for the said felts to dry out and take upsufficient rq uge to effect a polishing of the glass. Therefore, the

platform 43 is provided toeifect the desired drythat, when the runnersare returned to the glass, they will be in proper condition to effectimmediate polishing thereof. While it is undesirable for the polishingfelts to become caked with rouge on the one hand, yet it is necessary onthe other hand that they do take up a certain amount of rouge beforethey are capable of polishing the glass. If the polishing felts arereturned to the glass wet and without any rouge thereon, it will bereadily apparent that a certain portion of their travel will be consumedin drying and impregnating the same with rouge during which time theywill have no polishing action on the glass. viously, this is anundesirable condition.

According to the present invention, as the polishing blocks 18 leave therunway rollers 40 subsequent to the washing of the felts thereof, theyare received upon the stationary platform 43 and are permitted to remainin contact therewith during the travelof the unit thereover.Furthermore, the polishing blocks are continued to rotate, being drivenfrom motor 21, and there is also fed to-the blocks from one or moresupply pipes 44 a suitable quantity of rouge which flows downwardlythrough the hollow spindle 20 onto the platform 43. As the blocks arecaused to rotate, it will be apparent that they operate upon theplatform in substantially the same manner as though they were actuallypolishing a sheet of glass. Consequently, the felts of the polishingblocks will gradually become dried out and will also be caused to takeup or become impregnated with the desired amount of rouge as they arecaused to slide over the stationary platform so that when they arereturned to the glass at the start of their operative course, they willbe in a condition to effect immediate polishing thereof and little or notime will be lost before they begin to have an actual polishing actionon the glass.

In order to facilitate the drying of the felts, the platform 43 may behollow and a heating medium circulated therethrough, or the platform mayconsist of a single plate having suitable heating means associatedtherewith. This invention, however, is in no way restricted to theparticular type of platform nor to any specified means for heating thesame.

It is to be understood that the form of the invention herewith shown anddescribed is to be taken as the preferred embodiment of ,the same, andthat various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may beresorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or thescope of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. In apparatus for the continuous polishing of glass in which both theglass carrying tables and the polishing runners travel, the combinationof means located above the glass carrying tables adapted to support andconvey the runners from the finish to the start of their operativecourse, means for washing the felts of said run ners as they are movedalong by said last-mentioned means, and means for also conditioning thefelts during such travel and subsequent to the washing thereof,including a horizontal stationary platfoim over which the said runnersare movable with the felts thereof, in contact therewith, and means forheating said platform to dry the said with. v

2. In apparatus for the continuous polishing of glass in which both theglass carrying tables and the polishing runners travel, the combinafeltswhile in engagement therethe felts during such travel and subsequent tothe washing thereof, including a horizontal stationary platform over'which the said runners are movable with the felts thereof in contacttherewith, means for heating said platform to dry the said felts whilein engagement therewith, and means for rotating the polishing runnerswhile resting upon the stationary platform.

3. In apparatus for the continuous polishing of glass in which both theglass carrying tables and the polishing runners travel, thecomb'inationof means located'above the glass carrying tables adapted to support andconvey the runners from the finishto the start of their operativecourse, means for washing the .felts of said runners as they are movedalong by said last-mentioned means, and means for also conditioning thefelts during such travel and subsequent to the washing thereof,.including a horizontal stationary platform over which the said runnersare movable with the felts thereof in contacttherewith, and means forsupplying a polishing material to the rlmners as they travel over thesaid platform.

4. In apparatus for the continuouspolishing of glass in which both theglass carrying tables and the polishing runners travel, the combinationof means located above the glass carrying tables adapted to support andconvey the runners from the finish to the start of their operativecourse, means for washing the felts of said runners as they are movedalong by said lastmentioned means, and means for also conditioning thefelts during such travel and subsequent to the washing thereof,including a horizontal stationary platform over which the said runnersare movable with the felts thereof in contact therewith, means forrotating the polishing runners while resting upon the stationaryplatform, and means for supplying a. polishing material to said runnersas they travel over the stationary platform.

5. In apparatus for the continuous polishing of glass in which both theglass carrying tables and the polishing runners travel, the combinationof means located above the glass carrying tables adapted to support andconvey the runners from the finish to theistart of their operativecourse, means for washing the felts of said runners as they are movedalong by said last-mentioned means, and means for also conditioning thefelts during such travel and subsequent to the washing thereof,including a horizontal stationary platform over which the said runnersare movable with the felts thereof in contact therewith, means forheating the stationary platform, means for rotating the runners" whilethey are in engagement with the platform, and means for feeding apolishing material thereto.

6. In that process/ of polishing sheet glass wherein both the glasscarrying tables and the polishing runners travel, and further, whereinthe polishin runners are conveyed from the finish to the start of theiroperative course, the method of treating the rimners during the travelthereof from the finish to the start of 'said operative courseconsisting in first washing the r felts of said runners, then passingthe runners over a stationary surface with the felts in contacttherewith. and in efiecting a positive drying of the felts while inengagement'with said surface..

"I. In that process of polishing sheet glass wherein both the glass.carrying tables and the polishing runners travel, and further, whereinthe polishing runners are conveyed from the finish to the start of theiroperative course, the method of treating the runners during the travelthereof from the finish to the start of said operative course consistingin first washing the felts of said runners, then passing the runnersover a stationary surface with the felts in contact therewith, inapplying heat to the surface to eifect a drying of the felts, and insimultaneously'maintaining the runners in rotation.

8. In that process of polishing sheet glass wherein both the glasscarrying tables and the polishing runners travel, and further, whereinthe polishing runners are conveyed from the finish to the start of theiroperative course, the method of treating the runners during the travelthereof from the finish to the start of said operative course consistingin first washing the felts of said runners, then passingthe runners overa stationary surface with the felts in contact therewith, maintainingthe runners in rotation, and simultaneously feeding a polishing materialthereto.

9. In that process of polishing sheet glass wherein both the glasscarrying tables and the polishing runners travel, and further, whereinthe polishing runners are conveyed, from the finish to the start oftheir operative course, the method of treating the runners during thetravel thereof from the finish to the start of said operative courseconsisting in first washing the felts of said runners, then passing therunners over a stationary surface with the felts in contact therewith,applying heat to said surface to effect a drying of the felts,maintaining the runners in rotation, and simultaneously feeding-apolishing material thereto.

10. In apparatus for the continuous polishing of glass in which both theglass carrying tables and the polishing runners travel, the combinationof means located above the glass carrying tables adapted to support andconvey the runners from the finish to the start of their operativecourse, means for washing the felts of said runners as they are movedalong by said lastmentioned means, and means for also drying runners asthey; are moved along by said last-' mentioned means, and means for alsodrying the felts during such travel and subsequent to the washingthereof, including a horizontal stationary imperforate platform over.which the said runners are movable with the felts thereof in contacttherewith, and means for heating said platform.

12. In that process of polishing sheet glass wherein both the glasscarrying tables and the method of treating the runners during the travelthereof from the finish to the start of said operative course consistinginfirst washing the felts of said runners, then passing the runners overa stationary unbroken surface with the felts in contact therewith, andin heating the said surface to dry the felts while in engagementtherewith.

13. In apparatus for the continuous polishing of glass in which both theglass carrying tables and the polishing runners travel, the combinationof means located above the glass carrying tables. adapted to support andconvey the runners from the finish to the start of their operativecourse, means for washing the felts of said runners as they are movedalong by said lasting-mentioned means, and means for also impregnatingthe said felts with-a polishing material during-such travel subsequentto the washing thereof and before being returned to the glass.

14. In apparatus for the continuous polishing of glass in which both theglass carrying tables and the polishing runners travel, the combinationof means located above the glass carrying tables adapted to support andconvey the runners from the finish to the start of their operativecourse, and means for successively washing, drying, and impregnating thefelts of said runners with a. polishing material as they are moved alongby said last-mentioned means.

15. In that process of polishing sheet glass wherein both the glasscarrying tables and the polishing runners travel and further wherein thepolishing runners are conveyed from the finish to the start of theiroperative course, the method of treating the runners during the travelthereof from the finish to the start of said operative course,consisting in first washing the felts of said runners, and in thenimpregnating the said felts with a polishing material before beingreturned to the glass.

16. In that process of polishing sheet'glass wherein both the glasscarrying tables and the polishing runners travel and further wherein thepolishing runners are conveyed from the finish to the start of theiroperative course, the method of treating the runners during the travelthereof frornthe finish to the start of said operative course,consisting in first washing the felts of said runners, and in thendrying the felts and impregnating the same with a polishing materialbefore being returned to the glass.

DAVID H. GQODWILLIE.

